Lady Portia Bartel

Hahaha!

omg so cute

Weeeeeeeeeee (Link to new image)

It’s been one hell of a year, I must say. I started playing ffxiv last January, and building Portia’s story from the ground up. She’s changed so much since her beginning. I wanted to take a step back and recap all the events that have happened this year...it's been a great 2014, and so very exciting. Here's hoping for more fun times in 2015, though I think her story is mostly wrapping up. https://38.media.tumblr.com/e51cfadc20dd300ca09deda509fbcef3/tumblr_nhh4ylJBxu1qakgddo2_1280.png[/img] Portia started off a timid little conjurer who happened across Rivi in Gridania one day. Rivi quickly became a big sister to Portia, as the miqo’te would be shy and timid about everything and Rivi would try to protect her. https://33.media.tumblr.com/4a957e792de4f7b927a65d2e91901b91/tumblr_nhh4ylJBxu1qakgddo10_1280.png[/img] Along her journey she met Amitiel, a highlander and retired soldier with seven adopted children. She developed her crush rather slowly, starting off as friends and offering to help care for his children. She then learned a terrifying truth about the man, his affliction with a dragon curse, one that would cause him to grow dangerous. Because of this, he asked Portia to care for the children should he not return. She was about to confess her love to him, but he was gone before she could, and when he returned, he was suddenly engaged. Heartbroken, Portia left the home in search for somewhere else she could call her own. https://38.media.tumblr.com/2c3e406c373d3c246da699d9d9fa6387/tumblr_nhh4ylJBxu1qakgddo5_1280.png[/img] It was then when she found the group Aeon, and counted them among her new family, due to a mysterious affliction they all shared that caused them all to have a collective consciousness and speak with their minds to each other. For a while things were wonderful. She had a room at Cliffperch to herself, a roof over her head, she cooked for everyone, and felt warm and needed. Tiergan, one of the members of Aeon, was someone she started to develop feelings for. Portia cared for him deeply, cleaning up his wounds and cooking for him, just wanting to take care of him because the man couldn’t seem to do it for himself. There were together for a short and blissful while, until Portia found out he was already spoken for by another man. Distraught and thinking Tiergan a liar and a cheat, she fell into hysterics. Their company-mate and brother figure Vallon happened upon the two then, and mistaking Tiergan for trying to physically harm his ‘little sister’ he launched his lance and skewered Tiergan in the stomach. https://33.media.tumblr.com/ab3ccb5adf80d47a4156b2ff9be41bfe/tumblr_nhh4ylJBxu1qakgddo7_1280.png[/img] He might have died just then, if Portia hadn’t come back to her senses at that moment and used a powerful healing spell to save his life, leaving a large star-shaped glistening scar on the man’s stomach. The spell caused her to pass out, and in the morning, she knew she could no longer stay at Cliffperch. https://33.media.tumblr.com/64887fe311e84b30127559c707332b1a/tumblr_nhh4ylJBxu1qakgddo4_1280.png[/img] https://31.media.tumblr.com/0da6f518b85dffa18d85ac3384b6e716/tumblr_nhh4ylJBxu1qakgddo9_1280.png[/img] The woman ran to Thanalan, desperate to get away from everthing, feeling shame and sadness for everything that had happened. It was at this time she reunited with Y’kari, a very important friend whom she never could quite place her feelings for. Y’kari taught her the lance, something she took with her to train in the deserts, where she also met and trained with her drake Vanhi. Vallon tried to bring Portia back to Cliffperch, but things hadn’t been the same since. Portia stayed with Y’kari, taking care of his younger brother Y’kiri who was dealing with a deadly illness. Portia took out a loan from a suspicious character for a large sum of gil to pay to heal Y’kiri once and for all. For a short time Portia and Y’kari grew closer, and the man wanted to give her the family she always wanted. He told her his plans to start his own tribe and become a Nunh, but once she realized that it would mean she would only ever be one of many other women sharing him, she couldn’t stand the thought. https://38.media.tumblr.com/6f9da895928f42789519801edcab00a6/tumblr_nhh4ylJBxu1qakgddo8_1280.png[/img] Once again, she left, feeling lost and alone, ready to give up. Her home had been taken from her years ago by a horrible man who had killed her parents, and now she didn’t even have friends around to help her fight back. All she had wanted was a simple life…to be married, live in a manor like the one she grew up in, have children, and be a loving mother. It would have seemed that none of this would come true, and there was no longer a point in living. https://33.media.tumblr.com/83466203ad39b6fd08823a3bffce8320/tumblr_nhh4ylJBxu1qakgddo6_1280.png[/img] Enter the fabulous and powerful Zagi’zi Kumai “The Great”. He found Portia in the desert, having been keeping an eye on her for a while after meeting her in passing a few times. She tells him of her troubles, and he offers her a solution. Power is the only way to get what you want out of life. You cannot simply sit back and let your path be laid by fate and others around you. You must fight back. In return for becoming his apprentice and learning everything he had to teach as well as letting him be responsible for her life, she must do everything he asks of her, even if he asked her to take her own life. She agrees to this, and from then on, studied all she could read on the magic of thaumaturgy. https://38.media.tumblr.com/9a830aa6030c5e179da0914739073b6a/tumblr_nhh4ylJBxu1qakgddo3_1280.png[/img] After months and months of learning the art of black magic, he finally came to her with a plan to take back her home and her fortunes. Her ex-fiance, Lord Deavin, had killed her parents after she ran away before they were to be married. The man had done horrible things to her in his cellars, stealing away her innocence and leaving her traumatized. Her inheritance was locked away and home boarded up, all inaccessible to her for fear Deavin would discover where she was and kill her off as well. The pair snuck into Gridania’s noble district and raided his home. Portia, fueled with hatred and egged on by Zagi’zi, set fire and killed every living person inside of the manor while freeing the young females enslaved and locked away in the cellars. In a brutal show of dis”member”ment and burning him while still alive, Portia finally got the revenge she had always wanted. In the heat of the moment, and by some strange magics in the aether surrounding so much death, the duo passionately made love until the burning building threatened to collapse. Weeks later, Portia finds out that by some miracle, her infertility had been cured and she was pregnant. At first Zagi’zi was in denial and outraged, but slowly over the past few months where Portia worked tirelessly restoring her old home back to its original grandeur while growing in size, the man began to soften up to Portia’s care. Even if it only meant he no longer yelled at her, his change gave her all the happiness she had ever wanted. Little things like a necklace he gave her, and trying to get used to the idea of her having a child, their child, gave her hope. She had a home, all the wealth she could ask for, a family on the way, and someone she cared for that she knew she could always trust to never abandon her when everyone else did. Though she takes more steps each day to earn his approval, Portia struggles with old tendencies while remaining cynical about the world. Power truly is the most important thing. That, and her child. Nothing else comes close to mattering. https://38.media.tumblr.com/50ad340ee452df755fe5f2aa941f9bea/tumblr_nhh4ylJBxu1qakgddo1_1280.png[/img]

“….the father is apparently estranged, she’s having that child completely out of wedlock.” “How shameful, the line is basically dead and it’s like she isn't even trying anymore. Maybe that’s what happens when you spend a few cycles sleeping in the streets, you just don’t care about what’s proper anymore.” “She’s more nouveau riche than before. Not only does she not have a drop of blue blood in her veins, but she spends all her time walking around with a hideous lizard, riding side-saddle as if that made the beast any more appropriate!” In the stable, Portia dusted off Amethyst’s snowy feathers with a wooden brush, hidden by the wooden door from the view of two Elezen women. They walked at a leisurely pace around the wooden bridge that hugged an enormous tree trunk, one of many that made up the entirety of Lavender Beds. The bridge provided a wondrous view of the waterfall behind Bartel Manor, as well as the manor and gardens itself. The woman sighed to herself, ears fluttering in disappointment down against the top of her head. She wasn't exactly deaf to the rumors floating about concerning her, ever since she made her return. No matter her status or wealth or property, she would never quite live up to the Bartel name. If it weren't for the fact that her parents were gone, she might not have considered herself a Bartel anymore. Foolish to expect an adopted daughter to be able to hold up a bloodline, even if it was the only choice they had. But now, she was the only Bartel left. Blood or name, it didn't matter, she was alone in it. Portia didn't hold herself quite as high as usual as she finished in the stable and went to go back inside. She headed to the bath, eyes falling upon the pile of gifts sitting in the cradle in the corner of her room. Shoes, ointment, stuffed animals, clothes, a flower vase, a mobile, and blankets adorned the baby corner, filling up the empty space. A lilac blanket caught her eye just before she turned her head, recalling memories of Tiergan’s face as he had come through the door. His hair was much longer, she thought, and face much harder. Or had it always been that serious? She recalled the rugged man, tanned skin and covered with scars, gentle yet fierce all at once. But for whatever reason, she couldn't specifically remember his expression. It was always changing, from that of a threatened beast, to a warm lover, to a surprised little khit. So many layers, so many masks. She wasn't sure anymore what was real, and what he put on for her sake. In the back of her mind she always wondered…had she simply not been good enough for him, or had he pushed her away for some stupid reason, thinking to save her from some horrible future. Haughtily, Portia flipped her hair, staring fiercely into the mirror in the bathroom as she shrugged off her gown, letting it slide down her skin and onto the floor. Long brown and white tendrils of hair cascaded over her shoulders in a mess. Her purple eyes stared daggers into the figure in front of her, trying to find some sort of flaw, some sign of weakness. The months of living in the life of luxury had done well for her. Her skin was glowing, her hair was a beautiful sheen, her breasts had grown fuller, and even with a protruding belly she still retained her slender form. From behind, one couldn't even tell the Miqo’te was pregnant. Beautiful, eyes flickering with a growing flame, she gathered the aether, pulling in all that she could. The air popped and sizzled, stands of hair starting to dance around her flushed face. If anyone were to walk in, they could be dead on the spot. Her very presence threatened the entire room, but the one she had eyes for was the reflection. Who would dare look at her, and think her incapable. Who would DARE think of her as someone that needed protection? It angered her more than anything. She was with child, and that fact did not make her feel any less powerful. In fact, she felt even stronger than before. She was invincible. She had with her something more precious than all the lives in the world, which made her that much more dangerous. She had something to protect, and an entire universe full of aether to draw upon. Fire was at her fingertips. Everything would burn. Her situation was complicated enough as it was without the aloofness of Zagi’zi. She admitted it to herself. It made her angry. Her eyes glanced down at her pendant, the golden circle of chocolate gemstones. The only physical proof she had that he did not despise her. But she didn't know what the man felt other than that. Portia knew her feelings, had discovered them moons ago. She was devoted to him, an apprentice, mother to his child, and mate if he would even have her, even if he was more caught up in his own personal gain to even see her once every few moons. “Damn lucky” her friends called him, as she wasted away alone in this large house. A small crack popped on the side of the mirror, and then all of a sudden the entire full-length mirror shattered into a million pieces, raining glass shards across the bathroom floor. The ones that flew towards Portia bounced off an invisible barrier as if it were nothing, and the woman stood there in the middle of the floor unscathed. She was breathing hard, staring aimlessly at the wooden frame of the broken mirror. Her limbs trembled, and beside her, the bath water began to boil and fill the room with thick steam. The blood lust that had consumed her twenty-one weeks ago felt like it was returning, only this time she had nothing to take it out on. Playing a princess in a castle wasn't going to be enough for her, perhaps. Maybe it was like she told Raelos all that time ago….maybe she wouldn't make a good mother anymore. The smiles, they felt like illusions now. Hatred still burned. Hatred for the world. How could she be the mother she wanted to be, when the darkness felt like it was trying to take over once again? “…give…in…” A voice whispered in the back of her head. Portia’s ears flickered and she turned to look over her shoulder, but she was still alone. The aura around her seemed to change. Distort. Become denser. In the steam of the bathroom she almost couldn't breathe. A dull pain came suddenly, and Portia threw her hands over her protruding tummy. The baby moved inside, twisting one way, as if startled awake. The woman dropped to her knees, squeezing her eyes shut, fearful something was wrong. “…mine…” As soon as the voice had appeared, it was gone again. The heavy feeling eased off of her mostly, yet something still lingered. Opening her eyes, Portia glanced at her stomach, running fingers over the flesh. No scar nor bruise nor burn tainted the beautiful skin, yet….it almost felt like something was there. Like something was wrong.

Today today today!

Haha, yeah I thought about you two and then I was like "wait I haven't even MET them IC!" That could work though I think ^^ Or we could plan to IC run into each other in Lavender Beds, chat for a bit, then she could be like "oh by the way you should come to my baby shower" Definitely .. or if you want some advice on pregnancy or a fortune telling.. that sort of thing Nebbs can do. Ilwe makes good things, maybe a crib? Many things, or just runaway chocobo. Porita's drake Vanhi goes sleepwalking through the neighborhood in search for delicious fried chocobo.... @U@ hahahaha

Haha, yeah I thought about you two and then I was like "wait I haven't even MET them IC!" That could work though I think ^^ Or we could plan to IC run into each other in Lavender Beds, chat for a bit, then she could be like "oh by the way you should come to my baby shower"

iloveyou doit

[align=center][/align] Date: Friday, November 14 Time: 4:00pm PST // 5:00pm MST // 6:00pm CST // 7:00pm EST // 12:00am GMT+0 Location: Lavender Beds, Ward 8, Plot 59 (Invitation is open to anyone who knows her ICly! Also can be counted as a house-warming event, since I finally have a personal house, hurray!) For those who know the lady personally, even if only for a short while, would receive an invitation delivered to them. The paper is crisp white stock, edges embossed with flowers and written in deep currant purple ink by a delicate hand. [align=center]~*~[/align] [align=center]Please join with friends and loved ones [/align] [align=center]in honoring mother-to-be [/align] [align=center]Lady Portia Bartel[/align] [align=center]Come partake in the festivities,[/align] [align=center]food, fine wine, sweets, good company,[/align] [align=center]and floral decorations galore[/align] [align=center]at the Bartel manor[/align] [align=center]in Gridania's noble district.[/align] [align=center]Gifts are optional but welcome.[/align] [align=center]Feel free to bring additional company.[/align] [align=center]~*~[/align]

[align=center] I love it.. the kids especially. *huge hugs* [/align] [align=center] ^^ I'm so happy you guys liked it I had fun. [/align]

;-; yes

I'm really concerned that we can't pre-patch yet...

There's likely an old tumblr thread lurking around somewhere, but I wanted to see who here from RPC specifically had tumblrs I could follow. c: I really like reblogging funny and cool ffxiv stuff at the moment, and there isn't enough of it on my dash. I'm pettankoprincess! Now who can I go bother? >:3c

D: Have a great Halloween at least, Gus! I'll miss seeing you around!